Frontex: -40% irregular migrant arrivals in the EU, Central Mediterranean halved

According to preliminary data from Frontex, the EU border management agency, from January to May approximately 39 thousand irregular crossings (intended as incoming crossings: outgoing flows to the United Kingdom are excluded).

The decline, the agency underlines, is due to cooperation with non-EU countries and to the preventive measures adopted in the main countries of departure, which continue to reduce the number of boats heading towards Europe.

The Frontex data are published to coincide with the entry into force of the EU pact on migration and asylum. “From today – he declares Hans Leijtensexecutive director of Frontex – anyone arriving at Europe’s external borders will have to be identified, registered and checked to the same standards, wherever they are. The pact unifies 27 different procedures into one system, and Frontex officers will be on the ground from day one to help implement it.”

IOM, almost 1,300 deaths in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year

The overall number of irregular arrivals continues to decline, Frontex points out, but the human cost remains high. According to the International Organization for Migration, almost 1,300 people lost their lives in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year.

The unstable situation in the Middle East, Frontex reminds us, remains a source of uncertainty for the EU’s migratory landscape. The conflict has displaced large numbers of people and its wider economic consequences risk exacerbating migratory pressures in the region and beyond. So far, these movements have not translated into a significant change at the EU’s external borders.

Il Central Mediterranean it was the busiest route in the first five months of the year, with around 11,600 arrivals recorded, almost half the total for the same period last year. Sightings increased in May as sea conditions improved, but remained “well below” last year’s levels. Libya was the main starting point. The main nationalities are those of Bangladesh, Somalia and Sudan.

Outgoing flow towards the United Kingdom, the Union’s first migratory route

In the Eastern Mediterranean approximately 11,500 crossings were recorded, a decrease of 28%. The corridor from Libya to Crete remained the most active, followed by arrivals in the Aegean islands and along the land borders with Turkey.

Il Western Mediterranean it was the only major route to see an increase, with around 7,100 detections, up 46% from the previous year. Algeria remained the main country of departure and the Balearic Islands the most affected destination. The increase reflects a shift in human trafficking routes, as tighter controls in Morocco and nearby West African and Central Mediterranean routes have prompted more departures from Algerian shores.

The route ofWest Africawhich leads to the Canary Islands, recorded around 3,200 detections, the steepest decline of all routes, at 71%. Preventive measures implemented by Mauritania starting from spring 2025, and more recently by Senegal and Gambia in collaboration with Spain and the EU, have significantly reduced departures. However, Frontex warns, smuggling networks remain flexible and activity on this route is volatile and can change rapidly as conditions change.

Attempts to escape to the United Kingdom across the Channelwhich includes both those who managed to reach the UK and those who were prevented from leaving, fell by 40% to around 15,200 (this is the highest number of all migration routes, with an outgoing and not incoming flow, although not all attempts to cross the Channel succeed). A new agreement between the United Kingdom and Francesigned in April, is expected to further strengthen patrols along the French coast in the coming months, Frontex predicts.